Page 19 of The One He Desires

“Welcome to Cocoa Luxe. How may I be of assistance?” A bubbly chocolate woman greets me when I walk through the doors of Journee’s business.

“Is Ms. Journee here?”

Her smile slips as she gives me a once-over, and her eyes tighten the longer she assesses me. I lift the bag in my hand onto the counter, then take a second to retrieve my phone and send a quick message.

Me:

Do you mind coming to the front? I don’t think your guard dog is gonna provide me with access to you otherwise.

Journee:

Uh, you’re here?

A genuine smile falls into place as I look up for a second to see the woman with a deep frown and pinched eyes. I type a quick reply.

Me:

I am, and I’m a little scared for my life with the look I’m getting right now. Save me, Journee.

Journee:

On my way

A shout of laughter falls from my mouth after that reply as I exit the thread, lock my phone, and put it back in my pocket.

“Are you done ignoring my question, or do I need to ask you to leave, because we don’t do creeps around here?” The ice in the woman’s question might cause a lesser man to fall back, but the presence of the person I’m here for instantly shifts my focus.

“I got it, Deanna. Come on, Sincere.” Journee’s tone is light and causes little tingles in my stomach as I grab the bag from the counter and walk toward her with an extra bounce in my step.

“Thanks for giving me his name since he wouldn’t,” Deanna says with a roll of her eyes that Journee laughs off.

The sound has a goofy grin sliding into place on my lips just as I reach her. “Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but your struggle meal didn’t sit right with me.” I lift the bag so she could see that I had brought her something else to eat.

“Ooh, Good & Yummy has the best sandwiches. You’re alright with me. Come on. I might have to extend my lunch for this pop-up.” Journee grabs my forearm and leads me in the direction she came from.

My smile deepens at knowing that I did something right with this woman. Seeing the presence of her smile and the beam in her eyes makes my split-second decision to pop up on her worth it. Good & Yummy is a local deli spot that offers every type of sandwich you can think of. It was also an eatery that wouldn’t take too long to make this plan happen. A couple of seconds later, we walk into an office that instantly gives off girly vibes. The crisp air, driftwood, and green apple scent that invades my nostrils have my eyes zeroing in on the lit candle on an end table. There’s a leather sofa with yellow pillows and a crumpled yellow throw blanket next to the table as light music plays around the room.

“Oh, you were in here chilling, huh?”

“Mm-hmm. I just lay down to take a little nap, but here you come throwing a monkey wrench in my plans.” Her tone is playful as she extends her hand when she takes a seat on the sofa.

“My bad. I just thought it was a disservice to know that your stomach would be overeating its lining with those two pieces of dry bread you forced it to take.”

“Oh, you tried it. But what did you bring?” Journee’s left brow hikes as her eyes shift from me to the bag I set between us.

I smirk, open the bag, and pull out the contents as my heart rate increases slightly. I feel like this is a pivotal moment, which is crazy because this isn’t a date or anything that should cause any level of anxiety. Yet, I still want Journee to approve of my selections. Without a word, I extend the sandwiches I have to Journee as I hold my breath in anticipation of her reaction. Her eyes bounce from me to the sandwich before she takes a millisecond to break the seal and unwrap the paper.

“Hold up. You talked about my sandwiches, and you brought me a BLT?” Journee giggles.

“Not just any BLT, that’s a double-decker, and it also has avocado on it with their special sauce. I was told it would change the game, which made me decide to take the risk. Besides, I didn’t want you to be too full after those imitation lunch treats you consumed.”

Journee laughs hysterically as she hits my leg, and it feels like I just got hit by lightning from the zing that surges through my body.

“You ain’t right, and for your information, I didn’t eat the second one thanks to you acting like I was committing some type of sin.”

“Perfect. Let’s say grace and then see if the sauce is as good as the person working the register suggested.”

I hold out my hands for Journee to place hers inside mine as my eyes connect with hers. The genuine happiness in her eyes makes me happy as I bow my head before I say or do something neither of us is ready for. I say grace over our lunch, and we dig in as simultaneous moans escape both of our mouths. My dick hardens and jerks at hearing Journee’s appreciative reaction to the simple but delicious sandwich choice.